November 23—For the third consecutive year, Liam Hendriks has been awarded the closer position on the First Team of the 2021 All-MLB Team, the last honor of the 2021 MLB Awards to be announced. The All-MLB Team debuted in 2019 to recognize superior performance across the entire regular-season, including strong second-half performances by players who may not have been included in the mid-season All-Star Game. Honorees are selected through a combination of votes (50% each) by fans and a panel of baseball insiders.
Tag: Liam Hendriks
Liam Hendriks Named AL Reliever of the Year
November 10—For the second consecutive year, White Sox closer Liam Hendriks has been named Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year for the 2021 season.
Hendriks earned 38 saves on 44 opportunities, with a season record of 8-3, a 2.54 ERA. and a 0.73 WHIP. He struck out 113 and walked only 7 on 71.0 IP (69 relief appearances).
Hendriks set the MLB record for the highest strikeout-to-walk ratio (16.14), beating the previous record of 15.64, set by Clayton Kershaw in 2016. Hendriks joined Kenley Jansen (2017) as the only pitchers in MLB history to strike out 100+ batters with 7 or fewer walks.
White Sox Acquire Craig Kimbrel
July 30—The Chicago Cubs trade veteran right-handed closer and 8x All-Star Craig Kimbrel to the White Sox for injured second baseman Nick Madrigal (sad face) and RHP Codi Heuer. Kimbrel has the most career saves (368) of any active pitcher, and is 9th on the all-time saves list. He was drafted by Atlanta in the third round of the 2008 draft, and debuted with the Braves in 2010. He was subsequently traded to the Padres, Red Sox, and Cubs. Kimbral joins the Sox with a season-to-date ERA of 0.49 and 64 SO on 36 ⅔ IP. Publicly at least, Liam Hendriks is handling the trade like a champ.
Week of July 12-18, 2021
All-Star Week 2021
Monday, July 12
The All-Stars take batting practice, leading into the Home Run Derby:
4:15 pm – NL Batting Practice
5:15 pm – AL Batting Practice
6:10 pm – Extra BP for Home Run Derby participants
Coors Field – 4:00 pm CDT
The Home Run Derby is a single-elimination, bracket tournament with three rounds total. In each bracket, the higher seed hits second.
Coors Field – 7:00 pm CDT
The matchups (with season-to-date home runs, through July 6) are:
#1 Shohei Ohtani (31) vs. #8 Juan Soto (10)
#2 Joey Gallo (21) vs. #7 Trevor Story (11)
#3 Matt Olson (20) vs. #6 Trey Mancini (15)
#4 Salvador Pérez (20) vs. #5 Pete Alonso (15)
Round 1
- Trey Mancini (24 HR) edges out Matt Olson (23 HR).
- Trevor Story (20 HR) edges out Joey Gallo (19 HR). Story slams one 518′, beating the previous Home Run Derby record of 513′ (Aaron Judge).
- Defending Champ Pete Alonso (35 HR) beats Salvador Perez (28 HR).
- After tying the match at 22, then tying the tie-breaker at 28, Juan Soto wins in the “swing off” with 31 total HRs to Shohei Ohtani’s 28. Soto launches a 520′ bomb, breaking the distance record that Story had just set. Ohtani hits all of the highest-velocity drives of the night at 117 MPH.
Semifinals
- Mancini (13) beats Story (10).
- Alonso (16) beats Soto (15).
Finals
Both sluggers go into their bonus time with 17, but Alonso slams 6 more to Mancini’s 5 to win his second consecutive Home Run Derby.
Highlights from mlb.com
Tuesday, July 13
Players arrive at Coors Field in style.
Coors Field – 1:00 pm CDT
The 91st Annual Midsummer Classic
Coors Field – 6:30 pm CDT
All-Star Game Rosters
The American League wins 5-2, its eighth consecutive win and fifteenth win across the past eighteen All-Star Games. Japanese-born Angels starter Shohei Ohtani—who qualified for the ASG as both pitcher and hitter—books the win. Australian-born White Sox closer Liam Hendricks makes the save. Canadian-born/Dominican-raised Vladimir “Vladito” Guerrero, Jr. earns MVP, delivering a 468′ solo home run in the 3rd and a run-scoring groundout in the 5th. Vladito and his father, Vladamir Guerrero, Sr. (2006), are the third father-son duo to hit home runs in All-Star Games, along with Bobby (1973) and Barry (1998) Bonds, and Ken Griffey, Sr. (1980) and Jr. (1992). Watch game highlights from mlb.com:
Representing the Chicago White Sox in the 2021 All-Star Game will be shortstop-slugger Tim Anderson, starting pitchers Lance Lynn and Carlos Rodón, and reliever Liam Hendriks.
Eloy Jiménez Rehab Progress
July 13—Outfielder Eloy Jiménez to continue rehab at Charlotte Knights (AAA), moving up from Winston-Salem Dash (A+)
July 15—Aaron Bummer activated from IL
Three-Game Series vs. Houston Astros
White Sox win series 2-1
July 16, 1:10 pm—At six hours before the start of Game 1, the White Sox have not yet announced probable pitchers for any games in the series. Update, 2:30 pm—Probable pitchers for the series have been posted.
Cease 
McCullers
Friday, July 16, 2021 at 7:10 pm CDT
Guaranteed Rate Field
Dylan Cease, RHP vs.
Astros / Lance McCullers, Jr., RHP
L, 7-1, 54-36 (.600), L1 | Dylan Cease (7-5, 4.15) | Game 90
➤ Tim Anderson extends his hitting streak to 13 consecutive games.
Dylan Cease pitches well, striking out 10 across 5 ⅔ innings (6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 HBP), but Lance McCullers, Jr. pitches even better, allowing just 2 hits and striking out 10 in 7.0 IP (1 ER, 2 BB, 1 HBP). In his first appearance since being activated from the IL (yesterday), Aaron Bummer whips his first pitch at the head of Michael Brantley (missed), then lets Brantley single, then allows Brantley to steal 2B and 3B on two wild pitches, then manages to hit Abraham Toro in just ⅔ of an inning. Tough day at the office! Wearing the all-black City Connect uniforms, the White Sox start strong. Dylan Cease pitches a 1-2-3 first inning, striking out both #2 Michael Brantley and #3 Yuli Gurriel, then retires #3, #4, and #5 in the Astros lineup on swinging strikes in the 2nd. Lead-off batter Tim Anderson triples on the first pitch in the bottom of the 1st, and Yoán Moncada (#2 in the lineup) bats him in on the first pitch with a double. But the offense was all downhill from there. The White Sox score just 1 R on 3 H. Watch game highlights from mlb.com:
Jake Lamb to Rehab
July 16—Outfielder Jake Lamb has been assigned to rehab at Charlotte Knights (AAA).
Giolito 
Odorizzi
Saturday, July 17, 2021 at 6:15 pm CDT
Guaranteed Rate Field
Lucas Giolito, RHP vs.
Astros / Jake Odorizzi, RHP
W, 10-1, 55-36 (.604), W1 | Lucas Giolito (8-6, 3.90) | Game 91
➤ Tim Anderson extends his hitting streak to 14 consecutive games.
LUCAS F’ING GIOLITO!!! Giolito commands and controls all night, retiring 27 of 30 Astros for a complete game (3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 SO). After throwing a scoreless, one-hit 7 ⅔ innings, he gives up the Astros’ only run to Abraham Toro (HR) in the 8th. World class!!! Tim Anderson goes 3 for 5 with a solo HR (7) in the 3rd, an RBI 1B in the 4th, and a 2B in the 6th. Zack Collins scores a solo HR (4) in the 3rd. Newbie Jake Burger–DH (called up 7/2) steps up with an RBI 2B in the 4th and a solo HR (career first) in the 7th. Newbie Gavin Sheets (called up 6/29) contributes a 2-run HR (4) in the 5th. Hitting a 3-run HR (16) in the 6th, José Abreu ties Carlton Fisk for fourth place in career home runs (214), in the franchise record book. Watch game highlights from mlb.com:
Rodón 
Valdez
Sunday, July 18, 2021 at 1:10 pm CDT
Guaranteed Rate Field
Carlos Rodón, LHP vs.
Astros / Framber Valdez, LHP
W, 4-0, 56-36 (.609), W2 | Carlos Rodón (8-3, 2.14) | Game 92
➤ Tim Anderson extends his hitting streak to 15 consecutive games.
Another championship-level gem from Carlos Rodón—0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 10 SO, on 7.0 IP. Michael Kopech (1 SO) and Liam Hendriks (2 SO) pitch a 1-2-3 inning each to shut out the Astros. Danny Mendick RBI 1B in the 2nd. Yoán Moncada–DH solo HR (6) in the 4th. Tim Anderson solo HR (8) in the 5th makes him the first player in White Sox history to record a hit and a run scored in 11 consecutive games. Adam Engel RBI 1B in the 7th. Watch game highlights from mlb.com: